Equipment

-knife

-cutting board

-tongs

-grill

Ingredients

steak

-rib eye, sirloin, new york, etc. (there are a variety of cuts that work for this)

-light olive oil

-freshly ground pepper

-salt

-fat for basting

frites see here

aioli (for the frites) see here

compound butter see here

Method

Start off by getting your grill going, so it’s nice and hot. Then, using a sharp knife cut and trim your steaks.

cutting

trimming

cleaned

When the steaks are clean and pretty slather some oil on them and season liberally with salt and pepper.

seasoned

When the grill is hot put the steaks on and cook for around four to six minutes per side for medium-rare (any longer is just nasty), basting as you go.

grilling

When the steaks are done pull them off the grill and let them rest for a few minutes, so the juices redistribute. Keep in mind that the meat is going to continue to cook while it is resting, so it’s not a bad idea to cook it slightly under the temperature you want it.

resting

While the steaks are resting get your compound butter and aioli out and plate the frites. Finish plating the steak and garnish with the butter.

finished plate

Serve this with a nice red wine, but if you’re not into the wine thing I think a porter or stout beer works well also. I think this dish is a great one for dinner parties and barbeques because you can make it simple or fancy, there is minimal prep and it’s easy to make a bunch of at once.

Equipment

-blender

-knife

-cutting board

-measuring cup

Ingredients

-2 egg yolks

-1-2 garlic cloves, minced

-2 tsp Dijon mustard

-1 cup of neutral tasting oil

-fresh lemon juice and/or white wine vinegar to taste

-salt and fresh ground white pepper to taste

-large pinch of minced Italian parsley (optional)

Method

Place the egg yolks in the blender along with the garlic, Dijon and lemon juice or vinegar.

adding ingredients

Turn on the machine and let all of the ingredients mix well for a minute or so.

mixed

Slowly add the oil in a thin stream until you achieve a mayonnaise-like thickness. Remove the aioli from the blender and stir in the parsley and salt and pepper to taste.

finished aioli

If you happen to break the mixture all is not lost. You can usually fix it by doing the following: turn off the blender and pour the broken contents back into the measuring cup. Place another egg yolk in the blender, turn it back on and let yolk mix up. Slowly add the broken mixture back in and it should emulsify. If it doesn’t then you’ll need to start over.

Aioli is great on everything from frites to grilled fish to sandwiches. You can expand on the above base by adding things like citrus zest or various herbs or even some cayenne powder for an extra kick. The possibilities for this versatile condiment are pretty endless.

Equipment

-blender/food processor

-knife

-cutting board

-measuring cup

-squirt bottle or other container

Ingredients

-3/4 – 1 cup vinegar

-1 shallot

-1 garlic clove

-1 TBSP Dijon mustard

-1½ – 2 cups light olive oil

-honey to taste

-ground pepper and salt to taste

Method

Set up the blender or food processor and peel the shallot and garlic. Put the vinegar, shallot, garlic and Dijon into the machine. Be sure to chop the shallot and garlic before putting them in to insure everything blends more readily. Fire the thing up and let it run until you have a well blended mixture at which point start to slowly drizzle in the oil.

starting mixture

well blended mixture

You don’t need to add the oil super slow (unless you’re doing it by hand), just don’t dump it all in at once. Shoot for a thin, steady stream and you should be fine.

thin oil stream

Adding the oil is the most crucial part of the process, if it’s added too fast you won’t get an emulsion and the substances will separate or break this is bad.

broken vinaigrette

Something you never see in cookbooks is how to fix stuff you just FUBAR’d. At the restaurant we can’t constantly throw things out if we mess them up because it adversely effects the bottom line. So, here is how to be a good food doctor and bring your flat-lined creation back from the brink. First, turn off the machine and pour the mangled contents into a measuring cup. Then, turn the empty machine back on and slowly pour the broken contents back in which will allow it to emulsify.

pouring in broken vinaigrette

repaired vinaigrette

Once everything is back in continue to add the oil until your vinaigrette passes the spoon test. What’s the spoon test? The spoon test involves dipping a spoon in the vinaigrette and then drawing a line through it with your finger. If the line doesn’t collapse back in on itself the vinaigrette is ready, if it does then it needs more oil.

passing the spoon test

Once everything is good and emulsified taste it to see where you are. You want the vinaigrette to be tangy with a slight bite, but it shouldn’t taste like straight vinegar. At this point blend in the honey and pepper to adjust the taste until it’s to your liking then pour it into a squirt bottle or other container.

finished vinaigrette

Keeping the vinaigrette in the fridge it will stay good for about three to four days. After a day or two it might start to separate at which point just shake it up to get it to remix.

Vinaigrettes can be used on many different things, the obvious one being salads. Branch out and try them as marinades or warm on grilled meats. One thing you do want to keep in mind is to make sure the vinaigrette pairs well with what it’s going on. For example a salad with apples, blue cheese and walnuts would work well with a balsamic vinaigrette or grilled salmon with a warm rice wine, orange and fennel vinaigrette would be pretty good. By using the recipe I supplied as a base and changing the vinegar and adding other ingredients you can get an almost infinite amount of combinations to go with just about anything.

Really good melt-in-your-mouth frites (or French fries) is an ethereal experience that everyone should have. In my experience the key factors that contribute to these great frites are lots of peanut oil (and duck fat if you can get it) and those big, fat Russet potatoes. That’s pretty much it, there isn’t much mysticism involved and by following the steps below you’ll get some insane frites. You may never look at those soggy, limp, heat lamp jobs you get at the burger joint the same again!

Equipment

-large heavy bottomed pot

-knife

-cutting board

-mandolin

-spider

-sheet tray

-deep fry thermometer

-large bowl

-colander

-paper towels

Ingredients

-3 or 4 large Russet potatoes

-1 gallon of peanut oil

-1 cup of duck fat (not necessary, but makes a huge difference)

-kosher or sea salt

Method

Take the large pot and fill it with the peanut oil and don’t be afraid of putting too much in. To do this correctly you’re going to need a fair amount of oil, but remember about displacement. Make sure the pot is big enough, so the oil doesn’t spill out when you add the frites – grease fires in the house always sound like a good idea at first If you have the option of doing this outside it might not be a bad idea. Add the duck fat in at this point if you have it. Put the pot over medium-high heat, but pay attention to it and don’t let it smoke. We’re looking to get the oil to about 300 degrees in order to blanch the frites.

After you have the oil going thoroughly wash and scrub the potatoes. When you have the potatoes good and clean use a sharp knife to cut off four sides.

starting cut

Then, cut the potato into half inch slices, rotate those slices a quarter turn and again cut half inch slices.

first half inch slices

second half inch slices

You should now have a bunch of sticks that resemble frites.

cut frites

If you’re lucky enough to have a mandolin you can bypass all of this. Set the gauge to one half inch and with the wide tooth gate locked-in, slice away. Either way you do it when you have all of the frites cut put them into an ice water bath and let them soak for about an hour.

When your oil is hot enough remove the frites from the water, let them drain in the colander and then pat them dry with paper towels. Once dry add the frites in small batches to the hot oil. A little side note on the oil: This shit is laser-ass hot and it will burn the fuck out of you if it gets on you, so be careful.

blanching frites

You want to let them cook until they turn to a somewhat translucent white color, about six minutes. When they’re ready use the spider to pull them out and put them on the sheet pan.

blanched frites

Repeat this process until all of the frites have been blanched. Bring the oil up to 375 degrees. When the oil is ready and again working in small batches, dump in the frites and cook about three minutes or until golden brown.

finished frites

While the frites are cooking line the bowl with the paper towels. When the frites are done fish them out using the spider and let them drain in the paper towel lined bowl. After they have drained for a minute or two remove the paper towels and toss them in the bowl along with the salt.

I think these golden little beauties are good enough to stand alone, but they also go great with a burger or steak. You could even add some minced garlic and parsley for great garlic fries or try them with different condiments, seasonings or those exotic salts.

Equipment

-mixer/food processor

-knife

-cutting board

-wax paper

-mixing bowl

-rubber spatula

Ingredients

-4oz  butter

-salt

-your choice of flavoring

Method

Bring the butter up to room temperature and then put it in the food processor or mixer if you’re going to make a large amount (otherwise you can just mix it by hand in a bowl with a fork). Turn the machine on and let the butter mix until smooth and creamy.

mixed butter

While the butter is mixing finely mince your flavoring, for this compound butter I’m using Perigord truffles.

minced truffle

When the butter is done mixing scoop it into the mixing bowl and add your flavoring. Using the spatula, fold the minced items into the butter until well combined.

folding in truffles

Once everything has been incorporated transfer the mixture to a sheet of waxed paper. Roll-up the waxed paper, twist the ends to form a compact cylinder and place in the fridge to allow it to harden.

forming the butter

When the butter is hard slice off the end and cut rounds as needed.

slicing the butter

In addition to being used as a garnish compound butters can also be used to finish pan and butter sauces.  Try experimenting with different ingredients; the possibilities are pretty much limitless with what you can do.